New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-07-31
RANDY'S PROTECTORS.
+. p,sror. ls MADE READY.


.sroh- sor brcsstsst, we heard young fresh voice
eutsidb say:
rsul,o IN tho tent therc Huloi"
Tbis was something now. No "horse ana oeam,
a. thew cay here could up that cliff We both
h.steued To put asde the curtain and look fortn, our
curiosity having been largely fostered since our stay
nj the shore. What we saw was small whte pony
bearing on his back q girl Of fourteen or hfteen'
verftable Southern saddle pony, We saw at gianoe'
Hs stood looking wisely at while we gazed &c DIS
nder, who was almost transparently fair OF moo.
with Hight hair flying out from under her hat; groa'
solemn eyes, and an irregular mouth almost sArT
unrly red Although she was not forward In tno
least she was entirely sef-possessed She '@o eDH*
II she dismountod she could not mount alone veiy
well and so she had shouted at US She naa oono
ever because her grandmother had hao q ansou
cream about burglars, and had sent woro 'has 'no
would be awfuly glad II we would spena 'ns' Hs
Ut her house. But we need not br'ng inc os' W
cause she was a. afraid Of the cog ~ 'n0 was :"
burglars She had had tho dream three umos run
ming, and It had upset her 50 tna' 'ne i''' "''1'
nearly crazy az loon ....
We listened In silence to this peculiarly a't'ao'Vo
sirl,sh voice. as It rather slowly gave US 'ho sooNe
Information In correct English, and our amazemch'
grew with every word Who was tniS sin III "
6ttus habit, mounted . saddle horse and appear
IN, thus mt tho door Of our tent; and not only APP
nearing to u.s. but enunciatng with ON case ana
closrness that almost made US dumDf IL was 90
rarely that We heard words pronounced, not onewoo
mn crotesquely, that Immediately had suspicion
that this must be princess ct least Her Dyes mad
. Mmpid appearance which, however common emone
heroines In novels, IL rare In the flesh.
"Your grandmother n said l. thinking wouid Do
~,n In this way, and could find out who the
elder woman was, could discover the grs iunti'y'
1But We don't know who your Grandmother is.
"surc enoughi" she laughed "Thoy call nor
Randy Rankin, and she lives in the TwoMile She's
fust the same a. my grandmother and love her.
She married my fathers father so che ISN'T roaiiy
any blood relation. But" added the girl with great
frapkpess "she's ten times dcarer than over erano
father was. There was something about him that
nade my Hosh crawl; couldn't endure MN, nnu
they couldn't make mo 60 to the funeral. Ii you
had hated man. would you 20 to his funeral just
because be was dead"
She seemed to ask the question Of my friend'
who replied seriously:
aYou could hardly have gone he hadn't been
Tho girl stared an instant, then threw back her
head and laughed. Whom she had ceased said:
"You must DO Lily Rankin"
eyes am. You see, / never was very strong
and this spring my father bought me this Texas
pony. It's o splendid thing to be Just strong
enough to have pony that has all the gats and
that knows everything"
We agreed that that amount Of strength must DO
\ very desirable possession, and then we asked
she was the child who could not sustain the eject
produced by tho Tree Of Death as portrayed on her
parior walls. Her face darkened as she achnowi
edged that she was that chid. 1t was easy enough
10 SEQ why tho study Of that picture had produced
sonvulsons In such q subject IS this
We found ourselves trying to detain LILY hanAih'
rhcre was q distinct pleasure In being near her.
was conscious Of desire to have her In our tent
Sor an indefinite length Of time. told her that we
would engage to "b0osr her into the saddle again II
uhe would dismOunt But no. 1t occurred to her
ct that moment that she ought to be in hurry She
must rde round and tell her grandmother what we
said
to make huoaleberry slump. And 1 tell you her
huchIeberry siumps are Of that kind that you are
1ust ready to CRY there Isn't enough for three
helpings round. everybody wants three helpngs.
heapng ones, too. always cried when saw the
slump was going to give out too soon And then
grandpa used to say 'Sho, nowi Little girls
shouldn't be greedy and cry for their victuais, and
he would take the last and biggest piece ON his Own
plate sobbio II whilo stood looking ct him ana
hating him. NO, can't 60 and begin to respect
him that he Is dead"
Evidently this subject Of her dead grandfather was
one on which she had received a few impressive
Lectures with the result Of exciting great deal Of
eombativcness In her mind.
"Tell your grandmother to make the slump" We
said, "and wen DO there before supper"
And Lily Rankin cantered out of sight down the
narrow path along the Cliff
1t did seem rather absurd to 60 somewhere as a
protection against burglars and to leave tho mastif
Of home However, We suspected that the fear OF
burglars was not very strong In Randy Rankins
mind. Had she not lived alone In her house ever
aimee her separation from her husbands
we shut Max up In the tent in the middle Of the
afternoon, rowed Salt Pond in dory. took
Q barge for about half mile On our way and walked
the rest Of the distance. We had never seon Mrs.
Rankins house We found 1t to be ono Of those low.
b,ackened small houses that ono secs occasionally In
Eew England and which look as If they might be
thousand years old. This one had, In reality, been
standing nearly two hundred years
The enormous oak beams ran through the middle
Of the ceiling Of each room, and TOLD why the house
could endure 50 long. 1t would be many score OF
years yet before the old SHERMAN place" womc
fan to piece. The house had been tho property OF
Ghermans ever since 1t was built and the first
Sherman had his deed from the Indians 1t was
Mrs. Rankins ancestral home. There are such
homes scattered about these shores, and summer
visitors come ustling to see them they try to buy
ancient fourposod bedsteads blue crockery and
surtous old chairs, chattering and exc,amins and
laughing as they bargain.
Mrs. Rankin camo down through the ranky
growing flower garden to meet us, brushing out the
pehume Of "southernwoOd" and "sweetscebted
shrub" as she moved
81 declared d. know but I'm bout gittin' to be
. fool" she said, "but here / be- beginnn' to be
afraid Of robbers when I've lived here, year In and
year out, stark alone; less you count the cat and
the Bnyma hens / wouldn't send for no man,
cause mems terrible tryin' pretcndin to hev so
courage and then sneakin out the little end OF
the horn when the time comes that courage would IL
good
We sat down in the queer old kitchen while She
carried away our hats. The 0dor Of cooking hucklc-
berries hot and sweet, flied the dim room. At one
end against the wall, the table, with plates
end cups and placed for three. black,
painless batten door stood open near the table, re
yeallng an enormous, fiat, natural doorstep, and
srowding upon 1t at each side were two large lilac
bushes, whose branches had to be pushed away
when one wished to step out into this backyard
Ne caught ellmpses Of tiger lilies beyond the lacs
Randay Rankin came back, opened the oven door
VI tho co0kstOye that the slump was prosperous,
and then sat down. saying that some folks billed their
Iumps but she had better luck If she baked hers.